Devices intended for the safe storage of banknotes and their transportation between different localities, such as shops, banks and post-office localities, etc., are known to the art. For example, European Pat. No. 0004436 describes a banknote handling device, namely a lockable cassette. This cassette is provided with a lockable lid and is adapted for insertion into a housing. When removed from the housing, the cassette is closed and locked and when inserted into the housing a latch which latches a member in the lid is moved to a non-latching position, provided that given electrical activation takes place in accordance with a pre-set program. This activation involves the mutual co-action of components belonging to the cassette and to the housing, this co-action causing a signal of given value or pattern to be delivered to an electric locking device in the cassette in accordance with the set program. This value or pattern has a direct relationship with a locking code selected for the cassette.
A certain amount of criticism has been levelled against arrangements of this kind, to the effect that the number of possible locking codes available is too restricted, accompanied with the risk of unauthorized de-coding, and that the procedure required to change a locking code is too complicated. An increased memory capacity for storing various kinds of information is also desirable.